16 Weeks

Sorry for writing out of time sequence...just pretend like you're reading a novel that occurs both in the past and present. Just without the novel-quality writing style. (And the page-turning writing style, for that matter.) Unfortunately, this is going to continue as I catch up on posts from the first-trimester.

This past Friday marked 16 weeks and on Thursday I had my 16 week appointment. Here's the vital stats:

Weight gained to date: 2 pounds
Baby's size: About an avocado
Interesting baby fact: Peanut can now begin to recognize our voices :)
Baby's heart rate: 153
Overall health: feeling great with more energy than the first trimester

Here's a picture at 16 weeks:



We're anxiously awaiting our next appointment, at which we will find out the gender. Right now it's scheduled for March 18, but we may have to push it back a week due to Taylor's flying schedule. We'll keep you posted. :)

Telling the family

One of the great perks of the flight benefits associated with Taylor's job is being able to tell family really big news (you know, like "We're pregnant" news) in person. It was easy to determine that we definitely wanted to spread the news face-to-face. It was a bit more challenging working out the logistics, considering it'd require four separate round-trip trips to three different states to do so.

(Before I go much further...while it was incredibly difficult to keep the secret, it was also really fun for Taylor and I to have our own literal bundle of joy. It was a constant feeling of excitement knowing that we had such wonderful news to share.)

Christmas this year was with my family, so it was easy to decide that we'd tell everyone while home for the holidays. After some deliberation, we decided to make t-shirts for my mom, Pat, brother, Troy and Shan. We wanted to give them to the family on Christmas Eve, before the business that ensues on Christmas morning.

The plan went great, except when opening the shirts, my mom didn't immediately get it, and instead wondered the message on her shirt--Grandma to be on or around Aug. 13--meant that we were going to get pregnant ON Aug. 13. It was finally Shannon who broke the silence asking, "Are you pregnant?" Celebration ensued, and the family got to wear their shirts on Christmas Day, as we timed members of our extended family to see how long it took each person to catch on to the news.




Next up was Canton, Ohio to tell Rush, Kristen and our niece and nephew. Over Thanksgiving we had talked about all getting together for New Year's Eve and day, so the plan worked well to tell them in Ohio. We got to share the news prior to going to friends for New Year's Eve, which made the night that much more of a celebration. (Although it was a bit of a struggle staying up until midnight. :)

We had also already planned a trip to see my dad and MJ over MLK weekend in January. The week of our trip coincided with our first ultrasound, so for this round of news we got to share Peanut's first photo (more to come on that...). Initially the plan was to share the news over dinner, but I couldn't wait that long. Instead, after lunch together, I gave dad a "late Christmas present," which was a framed photo of the ultrasound.

Panama City was the final stop of the "Spread the Baby News 2009/2010 Tour." Unfortunately I didn't get to go on this one, as Taylor and Rush had planned a weekend to spend some time with their dad. However, Taylor was elated to finally be able to talk about Peanut with his dad, and he spent the time getting some counsel about being a father from both his dad and brother.

While our tour was a bit time consuming and involved a lot of miles, we wouldn't have done it any other way. Being there in person to see our loved ones' responses was a priceless moment for us. Peanut is already so loved by many.

Finally, 14 Weeks!

Ever since discovering we were pregnant on December 5, I've been waiting for the 14 week mark to arrive. We had decided early on that we would just tell our family and close friends until we were past the first trimester mark. Little did we know that was easier to say than it actually was to wait!

Well, this past Friday, February 12 marked 14 weeks of Peanut's development. And, we couldn't be more thrilled to start spreading the news.

With this important milestone behind us, we'll begin updating the blog with more regularity, including a few posts about our experiences during the first trimester. In the meantime, enjoy this 14 week picture, taken on Valentine's Day.